Fate Extra: Artificial Heart
by bamafelix
Summary: With the Moon Cell Holy Grail War in full motion, 128 combatants fight to win the Holy Grail, an object that grants any wish to its wielder. Hakuno Kishinami is one of said combatants. And along with his Servant, Berserker, he fights not only to reclaim his forgotten memories, but also just for survival.
1. Chapter 1: The End of Normality

**I hope you all enjoy this. After careful conversations with several buddies, I finally decided which Servant our protagonist would summon. Enjoy. And sorry if the little prologue parts are a little choppy...who really cares about that part? People usually only care when it gets to the point of the Servant summoning.  
**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except OC's who may exist at a later date.**

**Chapter 1:**

**The End of Normality**

Everyday had been starting to become so damn boring...so repetitive...so..._mechanical_.

Sometimes Hakuno Kishinami couldn't even remember waking himself up or getting himself dressed or anything of the like. He would always just open his eyes and let everything just pass him by like water in a stream. His memory just got so fuzzy. And he's been getting such severe headaches lately. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something felt...wrong.

He couldn't even figure out what season it was. It obviously wasn't winter, and it probably wasn't fall, but he couldn't put his finger on if it was spring or summer either.

It could've been none of the above for all he knew.

And then he somehow arrived at the school gates.

Really now. Just how did he do that? He began to wonder if he was unknowingly using some weird psychedelic drug or if it was a symptom stemming from some sort of mental disorder.

The past few days hadn't been anything unusual. Fujimura-sensei falls over, he sits through some random or boring lecture, and then he goes home on a route that is still fuzzy in his head...and somehow he never questioned anything.

And then there's Shinji Matou, his only friend besides the black-haired student who was also hanging around Shinji...for some reason he couldn't place that student's name.

They were in the class to he was sure he had heard that guy's name at least once at some point...oh well. A dilemma for another day.

For some reason, Hakuno felt nauseous at that thought. That wasn't usually how he thought things through...was it?

Once again, some weird feeling in his head forced him to ignore the weird feeling he had which only led to more nausea.

But back to Shinji.

Even his friends had to admit he was a bit of a narcissist. He also had little to no regard for any of those around him. Yet somehow he got all of the ladies, the smarts, and apparently the looks from what he'd heard from Shinji's fangirls.

Neither he nor the black-haired student could remember how the three of the, became friends...or even how the met, really...how did they?

Hakuno grabbed his head as the pain from his headaches spiked.

No...it didn't matter how they met...right?

He was unable to answer that question before his thoughts were interrupted by the subject of his current thoughts.

"Hey, low-life!" Shouted his blue-haired friend with his usual greeting. But the student knew there wasn't any real ill intent behind it due to the ordinary smile on Shinji's face. He was just like that. It wasn't like beggars could be choosers. Besides, Shinji at least always made for a interesting or time-killing conversation.

And so the day continued as usual.

* * *

The next day was slightly more interesting.

Out of the blue, they had gotten a new transfer student from Europe. Leonardo B. Harwey. The only part he caught was when Fujimura-sensei and the transfer in question allowed everyone to call him Leo. He wore an outfit that most certainly wasn't a student uniform. It was more reminiscent of what an aristocrat would wear...maybe that was why the dress code violation was being overlooked.

Why follow the rules when your family was loaded?

But there was something else he just couldn't put his finger on.

For some reason, despite Leo's calming words and expression, something about him seemed..._dangerous._

After Leo took his seat, the day once again became fairly normal despite the fact Hakuno still couldn't help but find him dangerous.

Of course Shinji started picking a fight when he noticed the mob of girls crowd around Leo today only to be knocked back down to Earth for a moment by Leo's disturbing calmness. Somehow Leo ended the conversation with Shinji ending up forgetting about his slightly deflated ego.

Sure Leo was apparently skilled at defusing other people's anger, but his political skills didn't seem to be why the student found him dangerous. There was something else.

The student wasn't paying attention entirely. He was too busy rubbing his temples, wondering when his headache would cease.

* * *

Days left: 0

As time went on, Hakuno's condition only worsened. He couldn't even concentrate in class despite knowing what was going to happen anyway. The same old cycle all over again. It was during the afternoon break that Hakuno's vision became affected as well.

It was like someone placed a strange lense oer his eyes. Everything looked like he was watching things on a buzzing TV. Everything was so distorted.

Uneasiness.

Emptiness.

Futility.

He could just sense something was going to happen. He felt the strange urge to shout put, yell at someone, do SOMETHING just to get someone to tell him what the Hell was going on.

But the increased pressure of the headaches prevented him from doing as such.

Something was definitely happening.

Hakuno could see that Shinji's other friend sensed it as well because he RAN out of the room. Shinji and Leo couldn't be found either despite the fact Hakuno could've sworn they were there a moment ago.

Deciding it was better than nothing, Hakuno practically dragged himself out of the room before supporting himself against the wall to assess the situation and his options.

For some reason, it felt like his mind was screaming at him to go home, forget any of this happened, and continue as if it hadn't.

But one thing stopped him. Like instinct, another voice in his head told him to stay. Just as forceful as the feeling telling him to leave except only slightly more powerful as it won out in the end.

Before he knew it, Hakuno was on the first floor. He turned his head to look down both halls just in time to see a familiar black haired student following after a familiar blonde dressed in red.

Shinji's other friend...whatever his name was and Leo...

_What are they up to?_

Wanting to finally get to the bottom of things, Hakuno followed after them. He made sure to move slowly and quietly as to not be noticed before stopping to hide behind the corner to eavesdrop on his classmates' conversation.

"The attention to detail is quite impressive." It was Leo's voice. "Even the surrounding air is surprisingly substantial. If that's the case, this world is in some ways more real than the real world it represents."

Hakuno felt his chest tighten at that last sentence.

_What does he mean about it being 'more real than the real world it represents'? _

"What do you guys think?" Leo asked. "What are your thoughts on this?"

For just a moment, it seemed that Leo had been including Hakuno in his comment...but then he starts talking to his black-haired classmate, seemingly oblivious to Hakuno's presence.

"Greetings," Leo continued. "I believe this is the first time we've had an actual conversation." He smiled, but Hakuno still had the suspicion there was something malicious behind it. "I've never had the opportunity to go to school before. It wasn't half-bad. In that respect, this has been quite an interesting experience...However, the time for fun has come to an end. I did not come here to play at being a student. No matter how enjoyable the detour, eventually one must return to their original path." He paused, as if reflecting on the very short time he spent at their school. "And for me, the time to do so has arrived." With those final words, Leo turned his back to the two he was addressing. "Farewell...no," he decided. "That's not quite right. I don't think farewell would be accurate in this situation. For reasons I cannot explain, I get the distinct feeling we will see each other again. So I guess I should use the more congenial, "see you later". Well, it's time for me to move on. I wish you the best of luck."

And then he walked through the wall as if it was an illusion. At just that moment, Hakuno realized it had been him rather than his classmate whom Leo was talking to.

Now if only he knew what the Hell the shorter student was talking about.

The student who was following Leo vanished after touching the same exact spot in the wall.

After they had both vanished, Hakuno walked up to the wall next and stared at it.

There was no doubt in his mind that he would go to wherever the other two went if he touched the same spot on the wall...

...he realized that this was the way to the truth. To why he's been having all of these weird feelings lately. The answer to everything was right there.

Regardless of what happened, he wanted to know the truth. He reached out and touched the wall, finally seeing a door that seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

Bidding goodbye to the false world he lived in, Hakuno headed through the door to truth.

* * *

Beyond the door, the previous statements perfectly described the view before him.

"Welcome potential Master." greeted a formless voice.

Hakuno felt an invisible presence behind his back. That presence would be what would guide him through the trials ahead. He just knew it even though he couldn't picture what it looked like.

It was a sword and shield for what laid ahead.

Then the white, orange-lined effigy against the wall he hadn't noticed before sprang to life. Hakuno then looked at the darkness ahead. He could only continue and hope the effigy would stand beside him to face whatever laid in wait.

"Now then, please proceed." commanded the voice from earlier. "The truth that you seek lies ahead."

Hakuno then calmly moved forward, the now life-filled effigy following after him. He was committed to this path no matter what.

* * *

"I made it," Hakuno let out in relief as he entered the room.

It was like some kind of underground church with three giant glass windows that circled around ghe edges of the dark room.

Hakuno was so relieved to have survived the onslaught of enemies he and his effigy fought on the way there that it took him a few moments to notice it.

The oppressive feeling in the air...where the spirits of the dead linger.

Hakuno tensed before something drew his eyes to the ground a few feet in front of him.

He wished he hadn't looked.

It was Shinji's other friend. The black-haired student who had followed Leo here.

Hakuno only had to notice his pale skin as well as the empty look in the student's empty eyes to realize it.

He was dead. Game Over. Do not pass Go. End of the line...Dead.

He was only snapped to reality by the familiar creak of an effigy...but not his own. No. It was the effigy that laid fallen by the deceased student that had once again sprung to life.

Was this what had killed him? What murdered the person whose name Hakuno had never learned?

He never got an answer to that question. In a single flash, the enemy effigy flew forward, closing the gap between the two effigies and removing any advantage Hakuno may have been able to come up with.

Its charge was fast, but reckless. It took only five seconds for it to cover the gap between the two of them. Despite lashing out randomly with the appendages that would be its arms, it managed to hit Hakuno's effigy right in the center of his chest, knocking backwards. Hakuno's effigy charged back toward its enemy kicking out with its leg-like appendages, but it was much faster than it appeared, ducking several seconds before the kick flew harmlessly over its unprotected head.

It stretched out its own leg in a kick of its own, swiping at Hakuno's effigy's legs out from under it. After falling to the ground with a dull thud and crack, it just barely reacted in time to roll away in time to avoid the other effigy's attempt to smash a hole in its chest.

In the few seconds it took the enemy to stand up straight, Hakuno's effigy charged yet again, its light feet tapping against the floor as it ran. It pulled back what would be its fist to strike a blow to its enemy's head. With a flick of the enemy's wrist, it smacked aside Hakuno's effigy's punch and then brought its leg around and delivered what would've been a very painful blow to any living being.

But it still wasn't good.

Hakuno's effigy was sent flying before landing and rolling across the ground.

It was only now that Hakuno finally realized something.

He hadn't stood a chance the moment the battle started.

This was proven when his own effigy appeared to be having trouble standing up. It might have had something to do with the part of its side that had been smashed, leaving only broken wood chipping away from its body. Despite that, it still put forth a good effort to stand...but it didn't matter. The other effigy, sensing its advantage, raced toward Hakuno's effigy who made a weak attempt to defend by crossing its arms in an x-shaped barrier.

It was truly the end when the enemy effigy's fist literally broke through the arms of Hakuno's effigy with a very audible crack and snap, continuing onto the effigy's wooden face. It went straight through Hakuno's effigy's head.

There was a long silence. Nobody and nothing moved. The enemy effigy removed its arm from the hole in the head of Hakuno's effigy, taking away the last support it had and letting it fall to the ground with a final clacking sound.

Hakuno couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. And his heart stopped altogether when the effigy turned its head towards him with a loud creak.

Something in Hakuno's head was shouting-no-SCREAMING at him to get away. Run. DO SOMETHING!

But he remained frozen in place, staring at his fallen effigy before turning back to the effigy that had been charging straight toward him.

It happened in a flash. The effigy lashed out one final time with its arms. Hakuno felt a sharp, searing pain across his chest. He was able to stand for several seconds before the pain overwhelmed him. He crumpled to the ground like a rag doll.

"Hm. It seems you are lacking as well." mocked the same formless voice as before. Hakuno wouldn't have minded punching the owner of the voice right in the nose, but he was having enough trouble trying to keep from bleeding out. "With your death, I will consider this round of the preliminaries over. I hope you find salvation in your slumber."

And then there was an incredibly long silence as Hakuno was left to ponder his fate.

_Is this the end?...Will my parents even notice..._

It was then that Hakuno had yet another realization: He couldn't remember his parents' faces. Not their names, their faces, not even whether or not they were alive. He couldn't remember where he lived, how the school year started, how he had met any of the people he had known.

Nothing.

He then noticed something else around the small arena he and his effigy had fought in. Some weird brown lumps.

_No...not lumps...Those are...!_

Corpses. Countless corpses of Tsukuihara students littered the ground around the arena. An expression of terror and disbelief was etched on each and every one of their faces. It made Hakuno think:

_Were they like me?...Will I end up like them?_

It was a terrifying thought. And the weird thing was that despite having a painful wound on his chest, Hakuno didn't see any blood pooling around him.

It wasn't quite at the top of his list of priorities of the moment though.

_This isn't right...I worked so hard to get here..._

He then took notice of his fellow dead or dying students.

_No...WE worked so hard to get here..._

Hakuno exerted a heavy amount of energy in a failed attempt to stand again. All of the nerves in his body screamed in pain, shouting at him to stop.

_No...I can't quit here...What would've been the point of all of our suffering? Who would tell their stories? The stories of all of these nameless students..._

The pain from his injury made it feel like someone was trying to rip off all of his flesh. The pain was enough to make him cry.

Not just the pain, but also his fear.

He feared never being allowed to grow old.

He feared never falling in love.

He feared never marrying or doing anything exceptional with his life. Just dying as the nameless student sitting near the back of the class. The nameless friend of Shinji Matou and other.

Above all else, Hakuno Kishinami feared disappearing without a trace.

Even through the pain, he refused to quit trying to stand.

_Why?...Is my existence so wrong that the world has to erase me in such a way?...With so much fear and despair in my heart? Is it because I am some sort of abomination? Why is this cruel world treating me like some kind of monster?  
_

"...Not a monster..." came a soft and comforting voice. Hakuno's eyes widened and a new assault of tears pour from them. He had not expected an answer nor a positive one. It gave him the strength to keep from fading into darkness. "...will you fight...?"

_I...I refuse to just lay down and die..._

The pain increased to the point of numbness as Hakuno continued to struggle against gravity, but he finally managed to push himself to his knees. The effigy from before turned to him, acknowledging that he was still alive, ready to finish the job. Hakuno clutched his chest as his body screamed as his nerves felt like...there was no way to describe it other than the worst punishment of Hell. But he still didn't stop, even when he saw the effigy turn towards him.

With a final push of effort and despite the searing pain, Hakuno finally managed to force himself to his feet. "I...I...want to live..." He uttered quietly. There was no response. "I want to live." This time, he said it with a bit more energy. The effigy wasted no time leaping towards Hakuno. Shortly before it reached out towards him, Hakuno shouted out in pure defiance of the world's will: "I WANT TO LIVE!"

"...I, Servant Berserker, will help you..."

Two of the three windows in the room shattered, leaving the third glowing brighter than it had a moment ago.

Hakuno shut his eyes tight as the effigy was only a few inches away, waiting for it to end.

He only opened his eyes when he heard a familiar cracking sound and opened his eyes just in time to see a mace-like object knock the wooden being aside like a toy. It skid back for several seconds before managing to regain its balance. Its head appeared to be focused on something BEHIND Hakuno.

The wounded teen himself moved away as he turned to see his savior.

Suffice to say, she had a rather odd appearance. She was about 5 feet and six inches tall with magenta colored hair and was clad in a frilly, white wedding dress along with over elbow gloves along with a black veil framed around the back of her head and neck. Her legs were covered by long, metallic heels. None of this was really strange. Someone could've just called her a REALLY lost bride with a strange taste in fashion.

It had more to do with the golden horn jutting out of her forehead or perhaps the large mace she carried in both of her hands.

He couldn't tell what feeling her expression held because her eyes were hidden behind her bangs, but it was quite clear she was staring at him expectantly.

"...My Master?"

The confusing question caused Hakuno to momentarily forget the immense pain emanating from his chest. He didn't know what she meant by Master...but this strange feeling inside him was shouting at him (yet not as forcefully as anything he's felt before) was telling how to answer the question.

"Yes." For just a moment, the woman, Berserker's expression lit up...or he assumed it did from the way her arms lashed out at him. It took Hakuno a few seconds to realize she was pulling him into an embrace when she wrapped her arms around him and relief filled him before the pain from his injury returned. Then came the even worse searing pain that seemed to be trying to tear his arm apart.

After Berserker finally pulled away from the bewildered and in pain Hakuno, Hakuno was able to look down at his arm to see a strange crest engraved in red on his arm.

"What the-?" Hakuno wasn't able to finish the question before both his and Berserker's eyes turned back to the rogue effigy who once again assumed an aggressive fighting stance. Hakuno was just about ready to shout at Berserker to run when she calmly walked forward right in front of Hakuno as to prevent the enemy effigy from gaining a clear path to him.

"...I will protect Master." It sounded much more ominous than any of her previous statements for some reason. Several random strands of her hair seemed to defy gravity and stand up on their own. Berserker firmly gripped her mace's shaft of her mace. It was then that Hakuno finally noticed a strange, hostile aura forming around the woman. With a bestial roar, Berserker charged at the effigy. Whatever humanity she had had before vanished in that moment as it became very clear:

She was about to massacre that hunk of wood.

The effigy, not sensing this, foolishly tried to fight.

It delivered several punches followed by another kick which were easily batted away by Berserker's mace before she brought it around again and smashed it against the effigy's side. It rolled away like a weird ball before slamming firmly against the ground. But Berserker was already on her way to her target. She was going to show that effigy just about as much mercy as it had given to Hakuno's effigy.

Before it even had the chance to stand up straight, Berserker brought her mace down right on its skull, smashing it face forward back onto the ground. It appeared to have tried moving yet again but it didn't get any further than that as Berserker immediately discarded her mace and began to display a much more disturbing side to her.

She let out another bestial roar as she clutched the back of the effigy's head in one of her hands and lifted it up off the ground moments before smashing it hard enough to leave an indent in the ground. It then lifted its head up and once again smashed it into the ground again. She began repeating the process over and over again again she was certain the doll's head was incredibly misshapen. She then stood, lifting the effigy high up into the air. She then held it with both of her hands. She was trembling for a moment and Hakuno thought she was struggling under the weight of the effigy only to realize the truth when she snapped it in half over her head.

She then firmly threw both halves of it onto the ground before proceeding to tear off its wooden limbs and throw them away at random.

Hakuno found himself very terrified of his own savior. In the span of ten seconds, she had gone from an innocent woman to violent warrior.

Before long, the wooden effigy had been reduced to a pile of splinters courtesy of Berserker. It was clear she hadn't had her fill yet as her head twisted left and right, as if she was looking for some new prey. She shortly returned to smashing the splintery remains of what used to be a killing machine.

Hakuno couldn't take it anymore. "That's enough, Berserker!" He wasn't sure what surprised him more: the fact that he was able to issue that command so clearly and fearlessly or the fact that Berserker actually listened. She quickly turned her head around and stared at him through her bangs and for a brief moment, Hakuno had feared she would release what was left of her endless, violent rage on HIM.

Instead, she almost instantly calmed. The strands of hair that stood up during her madness gently fell back down to her head and the hostile and dangerous aura around her dissolved. Any hint of her previous rage was gone without any trace. She cocked her head sideways in what was apparently confusion.

"...Master?" Hakuno stared at her wide-eyed.

"What was that?" He only earned a blank stare in return. "No really. What WAS that?! I got clobbered out there and you came and tore that thing apart like it was nothing!"

Berserker hid her arms behind her back and stared at the ground with what was clearly a bashful expression on her face. She was tracing circles in the ground with the tip of her shoe which unfortunately produced a irritating screeching noise. It was a rather cute gesture really.

Hakuno, however, but that thought on the backburner for the moment. "Just...Just what are you? And more importantly," He rolled up his sleeve to reveal the red marks on the back of his arm, "what are THESE?"

"The mark on your arm is a command seal." answered the same voice that appeared when Hakuno first got his effigy. "It is a sign that you hold complete dominion over your Servant."

The statement both surprised and disgusted Hakuno. "What?! I don't want to hold dominion over anyone!"

"Regardless," continued the voice. "They will be crucial in the battle to come so you might want to change your attitude. You can use it to give three absolute orders your Servant must obey. Think of it as a-"

"Cheat code?" Hakuno offered.

The voice paused. "In a way, yes. It can easily grant your Servant the ability to perform near impossible feats. It is not entirely unbeatable, but it will certainly give you an edge. It is also proof of your participation in the Holy Grail War. If by any means you lose it, you will be disqualified. Which also means...you will die."

Hakuno figured as much. There's always a catch. "So...what?" While he got the 'if he loses his command seal, he'll die' part, but the entire thing in general seemed too impossible.

"I understand your confusion, but please bear with it for a while. After your amazing feat, I must give you some praise. You have endured much to make it here, so do take some time to rest. You'll be needing it."

Hakuno glared at the voice. "If you care so much for my well-being, why don't you come down here so I can relieve some potentially dangerous anger by knocking your teeth out? Who are you anyway?"

"Curious of my identity, are you?" the voice asked in an annoying, rhetorical manner. "Truly I am honored. I am merely a part of the system, no more. I am but a guide tasked with helping and given the personality of a previous competitor. I am no more than words, no more than a mountain you conquered, no more than-"

While Hakuno REALLY wanted to hear the rest of that voice's rant (Hehe. Sarcasm.), it was at that moment that he lost the adrenaline that kept him from acknowledging the immense amount of pain he had felt before, sending all of it rushing right back to him in one sitting.

His nerves finally overloaded from the pain.

He blacked out.

Before darkness completely covered his vision, he heard the voice sigh a little.

"Very well then...Not my fault if you lack information later. Let the Holy Grail War begin!" And another voice shortly after. Its scream was filled with sorrow and fear.

"MASTER!"

**Finished...yep...got lazy near that ending part so just did it. But it's done. Once again, sorry about the lazy beginning. I lacked the patience cos I was writing it on my Ipad. Sorry. So yeah, this time around, Hakuno has summoned Servant Berserker. If you are a true fan, you WILL know which Berserker it is! KNOW IT!**

**I originally thought about Alexander the Great (Rider) or Medusa (also Rider) or even Francis Drake (obviously Rider) after a little messing around with the system...maybe Hassan-I-Sabbah...but nope...eventually decided on Berserker...**

**If anyone wants a different Servant in particular for a REAL reason, give me a PM or post a review along with the Servant and the reason or how it would be better for the story. If anyone wants any other Servant, say your piece now before the next chapter comes out or the deals off the table...**

**Thanks for the reads and reviews!**

**Bye-Bye!**


	2. Chapter 2: The First Round Begins!

**Yeah...that last chapter could've been better, but what can ya do? Hopefully this one will pick up the slack a little. So yeah. Berserker has officially been finalized as the main protagonist's Servant...**

**Well...enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except OC's who may or may not exist at a later date.**

**Chapter 2:**

**The First Round Begin!**

**Week 1  
**

**Days Remaining: 6  
**

**Combatants Remaining: 128**

_Infirmary_

Hakuno woke up with the most splitting headache. The strange dream he had didn't help.

He only remembered a city in flames. Death. Destruction. Entropy. All of those described the scene he saw. It was actually a relief when he woke up.

It didn't take long for him to put the dream behind him once he finally realized that he was in the nurse's room. Hakuno rubbed his temples as the images of a strange, horned girl flooded back into his mind. He looked around the empty room before letting out a sigh of relief at the thought he no longer had a hole in his chest.

But he was still bothered.

_That world...that effigy that blocked my way and that Servant...were all just a dream as well?_

Hakuno released another sigh of relief before closing his eyes...then he had to go and notice that something was different.

He quickly shot right up and scanned the room. Something was clearly off by that point. The room was different.

Nothing was moved or destroyed but some parts strangely glowed a light blue color. The atmosphere felt slightly more tense than it had been the last time he had visited (long story, but it had to do with moving stacks of books, a flight of stairs, and Shinji being an ass).

"...Master?" came a soft and familiar voice. There was a slight hint of sadness in the tone of the voice.

Hakuno jumped a little as a familiar woman wearing a frilly wedding dress materialized by his bed.

She was the woman who gave Hakuno the impression she was incredibly shy. He almost believed it until he saw her go nuts on that rogue effigy. She had been...different when she attacked it...

...So she what was called a Servant.

"Okay...?" she asked. What showed of her expression told him that she was rather worried. It was actually rather nice. It made him feel so uncertain about the side she showed earlier. "Master is...okay?"

Judging by the slowness and hesitation she showed in speaking, she had some sort of oral disadvantage or she was much more shy than she let on.

Hakuno nodded in response to her question. "Yeah. Thanks to you, I guess." He smiled a little. "You really saved me back there...uh...Berserker, right? That was pretty cool."

Berserker's expression brightened considerably at Hakuno's praise as she turned her gaze downward in what was no doubt embarrassment.

But then Hakuno gained a confused expression. "But what WAS that all about? What was that voice earlier talking about with command seals and junk? Who are you?"

Berserker froze. She stared at Hakuno, but it was clear her gaze was shifting all around, as if she was trying to figure out what question she was supposed to answer first. She understood the question, but it appeared that she lacked the actual ability to voice her answer. She was clearly struggling from the way she seemed to fidget nervously. She was really trying. Hakuno, in turn, felt a little bad about that. He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Alright. Umm...well, let's start with what is all of this stuff about Servants and Masters. What is that all about?" From that point on, it was EXTREMELY clear Berserker was nervous. Perhaps she hadn't been expecting she'd have to actually speak.

"Um..." she began pacing back and forth in front of Hakuno's bed, her heels leaving imprints in the ground from her (Hakuno knew it was taboo to say it out loud in front of a woman) weight. "Um um um..." She then stopped right in front of Hakuno's bed with her hands by her sides. "The Holy...The Holy Grail War..."

"'The Holy Grail War?'" Hakuno repeated. Berserker nodded as Hakuno thought back to their first encounter. "Oh yeah...I DO remember that voice mentioning something about that...but I didn't catch all of it...what is the Holy Grail War?"

It was clear that that question was far beyond Berserker's ability to answer because she didn't even try. She just stared blankly at Hakuno, frozen in place in front of his bed. He sighed as he swung his legs around so they dangled off the side of his bed. He sighed yet again at the look of shame that quickly crossed Berserker's face.

Hakuno quickly wished to change the subject. "Never mind. It's fine. I'm sure someone else around here knows the answers to my questions."

"Yes, Master..." Berserker said dejectedly. Hakuno suddenly snapped his fingers, having realized something.

"Oh yeah! In all of the excitement, we never properly introduced ourselves." Hakuno then stood from the bed before slightly bowing to Berserker. "My name is Hakuno Kishinami. It is nice to meet you Berserker-san."

Berserker shook her head rapidly. "No...Just Berserker..." She then gestured to herself as she used all of her willpower to focus her words into proper sentences. "I aaamm...I am Master's Berserker..." Hakuno frowned at the way she put it. She almost made herself sound like an object rather than a person...he also realized something else.

"Wait...when you say your MY Berserker...erm...so Berserker isn't your real name?" Berserker pondered the question before shaking her head after a good minute. "Then what is it?"

The silence that followed the question wasn't like the others. It was much colder and Berserker gained a saddened expression. Berserker wasn't answering not because she lacked the ability, but because she didn't WANT to answer the question. And she was suffering because of it. She clearly didn't WANT to keep secrets from Hakuno, but it must've been really personal if she wanted to keep it secret.

"OK, so name and long explanations are out." Hakuno decided, changing the subject before Berserker could start crying. "So for now we'll stick to the 'asking someone else' plan, OK, Berserker?" Berserker gave a short nod, a slight hint of gratitude showing towards Hakuno for moving on. He managed to conceal his reaction that time when Berserker once again blinked out of existence...but he could still feel her presence nearby. Taking that as the end to their conversation, Hakuno chose to start walking over to the door when it slid open to reveal someone he recognized from his previous visit to the nurse's office.

Sakura Matou seemed rather surprised to see Hakuno up and about. "Ah, Hakuno-kun. You're finally awake? I'm so relieved." She then walked over and lightly inspected Hakuno. He could sense Berserker tense up slightly when Sakura approached, perhaps trying to figure out whether or not she was a threat. "You don't appear to have any injuries, so feel free to leave when you feel like it." And then she added, "Also, all of your memories have been restored by the SE. RA. PH., so do not worry."

Hakuno blinked before giving her a doubtful look. "Um...not to be rude, but what the Hell are you talking about?"

Sakura returned his own look with a curious one of her own. "Well, only Masters who managed to recover themselves are allowed to enter the main tournament. You HAVE regained your memories, correct?"

When Hakuno ran by everything in his mind and only came up with his name, he turned back to Sakura.

"Yeah. And by 'yeah', I mean 'no'." Hakuno shook his head in disappointment. "I don't remember anything. Only the apparently fake life I had as a student."

Sakura cocked her head sideways in confusion. "Your memory restoration failed? I cannot help you. I, Sakura Matou, am just a custodial AI."

And just like that, Hakuno was ignored.

"Oh yeah. I should give this to you before I forget." Sakura held out her hand which held a small device resembling that of a cellphone or something. Hakuno curiously took it from her hand and examined it. It was some sort of portable terminal. "As a participant, you should pay attention to any messages that appear on your terminal."

"A participant?" Hakuno asked. "You mean for this 'Holy Grail War'? What even IS that? What's all this stuff about AI's and Seraphs?"

Sakura stared at Hakuno for several seconds. "Do you not have a Servant?" Hakuno, questioning what she was getting at, silently asked Berserker to materialize. She obliged and appeared right by Hakuno's side. "Then you are clearly a participant in the Holy Grail War."

"Yeah...but I kinda missed the whole 'Holy Grail War intro' thing...could you...um explain it please?"

Upon seeing Hakuno was serious, Sakura's amused expression quickly vanished. "No offense, but you are not off to a good start as a Master, Hakuno-kun." She paused. "But as an NPC, it is my job to keep Masters informed about the war among other things, so there should be no problems in explaining what you do not know."

* * *

_One crash course later..._

Hakuno sat in the chair opposite Sakura at the table as she explained what she could about the Holy Grail War.

She explained how Masters use their Servants to fight one another in a fight to the death to decide which single person would be allowed to obtain the Holy Grail (whose legitimacy was disputable by that point) and make a single wish.

She also explained about Servants and the seven Classes Heroic Spirits are classified under.

"So wait...why can't Berserker speak clearly?" Hakuno asked once the conversation came near a closing point. It was a fair question. Even if it was some sort of glitch made by this SERAPH thing, there would be some kind of solution.

Sakura shook her head. "It is a common characteristic of members of the Berserker Class. It is because Berserkers bear the ability known as the Mad Enhancement. In exchange for more strength, Berserkers' mental capacity is hindered or even lose their minds entirely. It's actually a bit of a mystery how your Berserker is so calm, really."

Hakuno's mind wandered back to when Berserker had destroyed the effigy...

...was THAT the Mad Enhancement? If so, how was she able to turn its abilities off and on?

Hakuno eventually decided to ask that question out loud. Sakura pondered the answer.

In the end, she had just about as much idea about the answer as he did. "It's also impressive how she is able to maintain her ability to speak if not a little. Perhaps her Mad Enhancement is just of a lower level than other Berserkers..." She drifted off before remembering Hakuno's presence. "Does that answer your questions for now?"

Hakuno sighed. "Yeah. At least I somewhat understand things..." Especially the part where the losers die. It was all beginning to give him a large headache. Maybe a little air would do him some good... "Thank you, Sakura." He bowed slightly before heading towards the door, Berserker (who quickly returned to spirit form) following after him.

What better place to escape to than the roof?

Two flights of stairs later, Hakuno was on the roof and ready to hang over the sides of the rails, thinking about whatever crossed his mind when he noticed a familiar girl in red. There was only one girl he knew who completely defied the dress code even before this whole mess started. The school idol: Rin Tohsaka.

He walked over to her and froze when she turned in his general direction. He really needed to work on hiding his presence.

She seemed slightly annoyed about something.

"I've investigated this school from top to bottom, but there's nothing unique about it." She was examining the walls and floors, murmuring to herself.

While they haven't personally met, Hakuno knew Tohsaka from the fact she was the first girl to ever reject Shinji before (something he deeply respected her for).

There was no doubt she was a Master as well. Another combatant in the school which has suddenly become a battleground of epic proportions. They were all predators now. It was kill or be killed. It was a truth that had to be acknowledged even if Hakuno didn't want to.

It was then that Rin finally noticed Hakuno's presence. "Huh? Hey you over there." Her eyes softened as she looked Hakuno over. She smiled lightly. "Yeah, you. Hmm, I haven't checked the NPCs out much yet. Aha. I know a simple way. Don't you move."

Her fingers reached out and gently touched Hakuno's cheeks. He desperately tried not to think about how soft her hands were or even notice her beautiful figure.

Rin seemed genuinely amused by Hakuno for some reason. "Imagine that. You're warm, though you shouldn't be."

"And why is that, _princess_?" Hakuno asked sarcastically, feeling things starting to get uncomfortable as he felt his cheeks heat up.

Hakuno's response clearly took Rin by surprise. "W-What?! You replied like-and your cheeks are-" Realization slowly crossed her expression.

"Sorry," Hakuno replied, not sounding very sorry at all, "but you were becoming a little invasive."

Rin blinked. "W-Wait...Does this mean you're a Master too?"

Hakuno nodded in response. Her expression changed from realization to shock. "Wait. Then that means I almost felt up a-" Both of the Masters blushed at the thought of what she almost did (while he was strangely disappointed). "How embarrassing!" She then turned around and glared at the air around her. "Shut up! I can make mistakes too, you know! Don't call me a pervert!" It was very clear she was speaking to her Servant.

Whoever he was, Hakuno had the feeling he was such an entertaining Servant.

"It could've been my imagination. Or a hacker-such a detailed NPC would rarely exist otherwise." She then turned her anger on Hakuno. "Anyway, you're to blame for confusing me. You're too bland to be anything but an NPC. Nothing but a blank look on your face, even now. Were the prelims too boring to jog your memories?"

That was a low blow. "About that..." Hakuno quickly explained the whole memory situation.

Rin seemed surprised by Hakuno's lack of memories. "Uh...No way. Your memories still haven't returned? That's...really not good."

"Really?" Hakuno retorted. "Hm...would they return if I returned to the real world?"

Rin sighed. "I don't know. Even if that were the case, you can't. Once you enter the Holy Grail War, the only way out is to win. Leaving prematurely isn't allowed." Well there goes that plan. "Even without memories, or previous battle experience, you still have to fight." She then waved off the matter. "Oh well. It doesn't matter. You'll be defeated in the Holy Grail War soon enough." She then turned away back in the opposite direction she had been looking in.

Once Rin's focus was off of Hakuno, he sensed Berserker materialize behind him. "...Not true...Master's not weak..." She seemed fairly angry with what Rin implied in her previous statement. "Master okay?"

Hakuno didn't reply, but he gave a weak nod. He had almost forgotten that Rin, too, was his rival.

"Well," interrupted Rin. "I guess I pity you. We're not cracking into the system and destroying it, we're hacking. I don't know what's on the other side of the SERAPH's wall once it goes down. Did your soul get jarred after you made it to the main event? If it's lost or unreadable, then how about you investigate later? Well, in any case, you don't look like you're cut out for fighting. Thanks to excitement, or nerves, everything feels unreal. No matter if you have memories or not. You can't help feeling like you're in a dream. It'll be hard to win feeling so disoriented."

Hakuno rubbed his temples. For one reason or another, he had either lost his memories or the SERAPH is screwing with him.

Who was he?

What was his story?

How did he get involved in the Holy Grail War?

The only thing he knew was that he was a Master with the Servant Berserker at his command.

For some reason, Hakuno felt that coming to the roof may not have been the best idea for relaxing.

* * *

Well, he had gotten a key from the creepy, false priest for an empty classroom. Apparently each competitor had their own room...even though there was a limited number of classmates on campus.

How the SERAPH did this for everyone was beyond Hakuno's ability to guess. He was also told how he and an opponent would have to face each other in battle...it was quite obvious by that point what happens to the loser.

Hakuno walked up to classroom 2-B like the creepy fake priest instructed and held up his terminal to the knob (also as instructed). There was a low hum before the door finally opened.

When the door opened, the room didn't look any different from any classroom other than the fact that all of the desks were stacked up on stop one another in rows against one side of the room except for a few of them that had been arranged all together in the middle of the room.

Sitting on top of said desks was Berserker, who appeared relieved that the desks were able to (Hakuno would never say it aloud) hold her weight.

"...It's nice..." She said. Hakuno almost smiled a little at how she can say something so casual after everything that had just happened. "...also private." she added. She looked away from Hakuno, who was left confused as he tried to figure out the meaning.

"Um...right..." While it was true that the room was indeed private and the perfect place to discuss strategy, the point was moot since Berserker couldn't really offer much to the conversation other than small sentences or comments. "So...Kotomine said something about an arena, right?" Hakuno asked after several minutes of silence.

Berserker nodded, probably not understanding the awkwardness of the moment.

"So..." Hakuno scratched his head. "You want to go together?"

Berserker then began to nod her head so quickly Hakuno was afraid it was going to snap off. She seemed rather energetic all of a sudden.

It became quite literal when all of the lights in the room flashed slightly before exploding into pieces, the pieces of glass falling to the ground and breaking into smaller pieces.

Berserker gained an embarrassed expression on her face. "Sorry, Master...Excited."

So she DID have something to do with the lights exploding. But Hakuno put that thought on hold. "It's fine. We can check out the arena first and clean that up later, OK?" It wasn't like he was expecting visitors.

Berserker nodded, clearly happy Hakuno was not upset with her for breaking the lights...however she did it was a mystery anyway. And accidents do happen.

Anywho. To the arena!

* * *

Suffice to stay, the arena deeply resembled the preliminary's corridors with not only their transparency but also the SERAPH-generated monsters.

Berserker already had her mace from before in her hands, ready to smash any approaching enemies to pieces.

"So this is the arena, huh?" Hakuno said to no one in particular. Berserker said nothing. "So, shall we go get used to fighting?" He felt slightly awkward after the words left his mouth.

"Stay behind me..." Berserker said rather quickly before giving Hakuno a small shove backward as she swung her mace forward.

It smashed right into the head (or would it be the legs?) of a floating, cube-like date monster. It recoiled slightly before coming back in for another charge. Its lower part began to spin like a drill as it readied to pierce Berserker's body. Berserker once again tried to bat it, but it proved much faster than before and curved slightly and managed to graze Berserker's shoulder. It would've gone past her and strike Hakuno if Berserker hadn't reacted fast enough.

She quickly spun on her heels and reached out one arm to grab the beast by the head. Her hand only trembled slightly before cracks began to form on it. Not to long afterwards, it shattered.

It was safe to say the battle was decisive.

But their fight wasn't done quite yet. They had attempted to move further through the labyrinth only to come to a much wider space. They had taken to walking as running through a random dungeon didn't seem all too smart.

"So...Berserker..." Hakuno, despite knowing she lacked the capacity to answer with long sentences, still had so many questions for her. "...I...er...I noticed that horn on your head-" He immediately felt rude for saying that and was ready to smack himself.

Yet oddly, Berserker took no offense. In fact, she seemed to stare at the ground bashfully, as if it had been a compliment. There was a light blush on her face. "It is gold...Papa made it..."

Hakuno blinked. "'Papa'?" Berserker flinched slightly once she realized what she said. She had a strange expression on her face. Well...not strange, more like she wasn't quite sure how to pull off the expression. It looked like she was going for a sad and somewhat angry expression, but Hakuno didn't have quite enough time to figure it out as the call of battle sounded again.

Hakuno moved out of the way as several enemies made their way towards them. Some somewhat resembled bees while one or two of them resembled strange, shield-like creatures.

"Master...run." Hakuno didn't move. He kept a safe distance behind Berserker, but he refused to leave her behind. He firmly stood his ground as Berserker prepared to engage her opponents.

The first bee aimed its stinger at Berserker only for her to knock it out of the air with a single swing. She barely had the chance to raise her mace up when the second one charged, blocking the blow on the shaft of her mace. During this time, she failed to notice a third bee sneak up behind her.

Some kind of instinct must've flared up because when that bee aimed for the spot on her back where her spine which would most likely have killed her. It still struck her, but not anywhere vital. She swung her mace back around and struck it down as well. She had no way to defend when the shield-looking program began rotating on its central point, striking Berserker with its sharp, blade edges.

"Berserker!" Hakuno shouted futilely.

She skidded backwards but did not fall. Berserker clutched her wounded side while Hakuno proceeded to try and throw out a healing item (as he had gotten what was like a tutorial on how to) to help her. It helped somewhat as her movements seemed less pained, but she still had a long fight ahead of her.

Berserker quickly leaped back into the fray and engaged the rest of the enemy programs. She appeared to be doing fairly well...

...but the way she fought...

...Something was wrong. Something was definitely wrong here...

* * *

_Later..._

After the previous battle, Hakuno and Berserker had both agreed it would be for the best if they returned to their private room for the day (as Hakuno had also failed to remember where he lived...stupid SERAPH).

Berserker had, of course, come out on top in her fight, but Hakuno still couldn't help but feel like something was off. He couldn't quite place his finger on it.

He didn't have much time to think about it.

What he DID have time to think about was how the Hell the futon in the corner of the room got there. He asked Berserker and she had NO idea...maybe it was the SERAPH trying to make up for it being a total A-hole.

Regardless, Hakuno had to admit he was at least mildly grateful while Berserker sat on her knees on her small platform of desks.

"Master." Berserker said quietly, gaining Hakuno's attention. "Problem."

Hakuno gave her a tired look. "What is it, Berserker? Any of your injuries bothering you?" He couldn't tell. While on the outside her injuries were all healed up after returning to the campus, the pain could still be bothering Berserker.

Berserker firmly shook her head. "I am...am not strong..." She then gestured towards herself, trying to make up for her lack in the speech department. "Power limited by Master...Master must get strong...Then I can get strong too."

It was only when she finished talking that Hakuno realized what she was saying.

Her strength is severely limited due to his inadequacy as a Master (more salt on that wound). The only way for her to get stronger and be able to take down tougher enemies would be for Hakuno to get stronger in his role as a Master.

"I see." was all Hakuno said. And then he added, "Then I guess we have a long War ahead of us then." Just the thought of it made him feel tired.

"Don't worry, Master." Berserker said, comforting him. "We will get strong so Master can win...Master WILL live."

She said it with such confidence that Hakuno found himself believing her a little.

_Perhaps..._ He thought as he laid down in his futon. _Perhaps she's right...the only way to remember who I am is to win apparently..._

But he still couldn't help but feel there was something wrong with Berserker...the way she fought...

**Alright done! SLIGHTLY better than the first chapter, I think, but still needs work, doesn't it? Oh well. At least it's a story. So yeah...Five bucks (DO NOT) go to the person who can figure out what was slightly different about Berserker in this chapter's battle and the previous chapter's battle.  
**

**I really hope some of you, my readers, also consider doing a slightly AU Fate Extra fic. There simply aren't enough people who aren't just doing novelisations of the game. It's messed up, man! **

**Lelouch: *Activates Geass I, Lelouch Vi Brittania, order all of you to write a Fate Extra fic!**

**bamafelix: You tell'em Lelouch! Sucks how you kicked the bucket in R2, but I thank you for helping me out with that.**

**Lelouch: *Sigh Do I truly have a choice in the matter?**

**bamafelix: NO! Now back to work! The chapters of this story don't write themselves!  
**

**Lelouch: *Sigh again You're worse than Milly.**

**bamafelix: *Turns and whispers to the audience We'll see if I don't replace that smug bastard next chapter. But seriously folks. There are so many possibilities. Servants you couldn't have in a FSN fic, you can summon them on down in a Fate/Extra fic. Whoever you'd want as a Servant...ANYONE! Now don't make me call back Lelouch to Geass all of yo behinds again!  
**

**THANK YOU FOR THE READS AND REVIEWS!**

**Bye-Bye!**


	3. Help With This?

**OK...Look and hear me out.**

**I am uncertain if this is a 'deletion warning' message or not. Probably not.**

**Can't find the inspiration for this story and I could use some help...cos I just can't...I can't think of how to write this story. I have main plot and stuff planned out but I'm not quite what I'm doing...**

**OK how to explain this...give me a few seconds...**

**OK. So for chapter 3 right now...I just can't seem to get motivated. I don't WANT TO drop this story, but at this rate, this hiatus it's on may continue on forever...I could just use help... I need advice, ideas, just SOMETHING.**

**I've been thinking about rewriting this story and try to make the storyline more original...change up stuff...but...GAH! I really wish this story was a videogame or...I'm really frazzled right now.**

**Anyone want to join as a partner? Anyone? Cos I just can't do this story on my own. I'm not like Xiphosan with his Fate/Extra: The Midnight Sea fic. I just can't do this.**

**Therefore...I have three options I am offering you:**

**A) Keep the story the same.**

**B) Do a rewrite with outside help**

**C) Do something else (PM me with your suggestion)**

**Even if I can't find this inspiration I seek, I SWEAR that this story (unless it's rewritten) will not be deleted!...That is my final say...**

**So seriously. I could use some help trying to get myself motivated.**

**Sincerely,**

**bamafelix...**


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